Warning of 'winter fourth Covid wave' | The 12 areas of Scotland with highest Covid rates

Good morning,

Welcome to your Wednesday newsletter from The Scotsman.

We start today with a warning from Scotland's national clinical director.

Jason Leitch has said scientists expect Scotland to be hit by a ‘winter wave’ of Covid-19 and other respiratory viruses despite high levels of vaccination.

But don't panic, while Professor Leitch said there would likely be a fourth wave, he added it was unlikely to lead to another lockdown. He also said he believed Scotland was “beginning to turn that corner”, but warned population immunity was not a “magic moment where Covid will disappear”.

Thousands of workplaces right now know Covid has not disappeared with absences up across many industries. According to the latest figures published by the Scottish Government, Midlothian has recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases this week, but we found 12 Covid hotspots across Scotland right now.

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